The news, this morning, that Eros Grezda has been told he’ll never play for the Ibrox club again is not exactly a galloping shock.
He knew that weeks ago. What’s become apparent is that the midweek controversy involving him – where he allegedly spat on an opposing player during a reserve game – has given the club ideas about cutting him from the wage bill.
Nobody is going to defend a player who does something so disgusting on the pitch.
But let’s not beat around the bush here; Ibrox clubs have had no problem with those type of players before. El Hadji Diouff was signed having done it twice. Whilst captain at Ibrox, Lorenzo Amoruso did it. He also racially abused a Borussia Dortmund player.
So where does an Ibrox club draw the line?
Extreme violence is no barrier to getting a gig there, as we know by the signing of Joey Barton.
Even if that violence is against a woman, there’s not necessarily a problem.
Gerrard himself signed Jon Flanagan in spite of his conviction for battering his girlfriend in a public street.
Gascoigne is still feted there in spite of a crime count and list of offences against decency that would make a drug lord blanch.
Is this standard going to be applied consistently?
Morelos has done everything on the pitch but spit at an opponent; are we really to believe that he would be told he’d never play for the club again, or that people inside Ibrox would be scouring the regulations to see if it offered a way to terminate his contract without incurring any additional costs?
Of course not. Grezda is a player they no longer want. He is costing them big money. They would have let him go in the window for a nominal fee. This, to them, is an opportunity to deal him out without having to break the bank. They’re going to dress it up as altruism.
That’s a laugh considering the club we’re talking about here, the person who sits as its chairman, the misdeeds of many involved with it and the behaviour of its fans.
Nobody wants to see someone do what Grezda is alleged to have done here, but we know that this “standard” won’t be applied fairly, and that if it had been a member of Gerrard’s first team there would have been fines and sanctions but none of the hysteria.
Grezda is beyond stupid. It’s a vulgar despicable act. In doing it he’s tossed aside any sympathy there might be at Ibrox or elsewhere over what’s done to him in response … but that club cannot claim that whatever it does next is based on wanting to be seen to set an example or do what’s right.
If they cared about that, Flanagan would not be wearing their jersey.
The CelticBlog is your site, and it thrives with your support. Please share our articles on social media, and subscribe to receive updates whenever we post a new piece. Remember, we have a Facebook page for all the articles and a Facebook Group for discussions about the pieces and other issues, and you can follow us on Twitter and on Celtic News Now.